Christmas at School–Advent Calendar

One of my first memories was from Grade 1 in Port Moody. I remember I was chosen to play one of three angels. But having heard almost everyone else in class being told they would be a “child” in the play, and not wanting to be different, I asked to play one of the children instead of an angel. And so it was that I played the part of a child at the ripe old age of 6.

By Christmas of Grade 2 we were in Squamish. I seem to recall the concert them may’ve been The Grinch who Stole Christmas. Our class had a song to sing. During the concert one of our classmates fainted dead away. Apparently he had been sick but had still come. I seem to recall he had a couple of stitches to his head, but nothing terribly serious. The next school day we all had to make a get-well card for him.

I don’t recall much of other Christmas concerts. Later on, when I was old enough to join Band (Grade 6) then I started being in Band concerts which I thoroughly enjoyed.

In a time before religious pluralism in schools, Christmas was a time of crafts involving a lot of coloured cardboard cutouts of trees and stars, some paper chains, and sometimes even the use of that extra special item, glitter! It also meant a lightened workload generally–funny how just the opposite was true in University, with exams and papers marking the holiday season.

“Howdy folks“, to quote grandma. For those of you not related to me, I am the keeper of all things family history for both sides of my family. I have been “doing” genealogy since I was about 10 years old, and even before as I listened to Nana’s stories of ... Continue reading →